Freight-car-door mechanism.



P. M. ELLIOTT.

FREIGHT CAR, DOOR MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED DEG.17, 1912.

4 lmgg g g Patented June 16,1914. 2 $HEETSSHEET 1.

2 [V i ii ,5? M6'72f07' m by MWWMWM zitiiia P. M. ELLIOT-T.

FREIGHT GAR DOOR MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED DEG. 17, 1912.

1 ,099,9 1 8. Patented June 16, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I? z/nfor PERCY M. ELLIOTT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FREIGHT-CAR-DOOR 'MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 16, 1914.

Application filed December 17, '1912. Serial No. 737,166.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PERCY M. ELLIOTT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Freight-Car-Door Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

My invention "relates in general to freight cars, and more particularly to means for supporting the doors and for closing the space between the upper edges of the doors and the overlying support.

In freight cars of the construction having sides composed of metal beams forming trusses outside of the wooden sheathing, it is necessary that the path of movement of the sliding doors should be spaced outwardly from the wooden sides a distance equal to the thickness of the metal beams in order that the doors may slide out of the plane of the trussed beams. This-arrangement requires that the track from which the door is suspended should project outwardly from the car sides a considerable distance, and owing to the consequent exposed position of the top of the door it is necessary that a thoroughly weather and dust proof joint should be provided between the upper edge of the door and the car side,

My invention has for its object to provide means for supporting and guiding the door of a freight car of the type above referred to, which will not only securely support and properly guide the door in its opening and closing movements, but will also afford a weather-proof jointbetween the top of the door .and the top edge of the car door opening.

A further object of my invention is to provide means for supporting and guiding a sliding freight car door, and for forming a weather-proof joint between the door when closed and the door opening, which will be simple in construction, inexpensive to build, durable in use, and efficient in operation.

My invention will be more fully disclosed hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same is illustrated as embodied in two convenient and practical forms, and in which- Fi ure 1 is a side elevational View of a freight car door and the adjacent portions of the freight car embodying my invention; Fig. 2, an enlarged detail sectional view on line 2 2, Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a view similar to Fig. 2, showing a modification; Fig' 4, an enlarged detail sectional view on line 4 4, Fig. l; and Fig. 5, an enlarged detail sectional view on line 5 5, Fig, 1.

Similar reference characters are used to designate similar parts in the several figures of the drawings.

Reference letter A designates a freight car, only so much thereof being shown as is necessary to fully illustrate my invention.

The freight car to which my invention relates is of the type comprising metal beams forming side trusses within which the wooden sheathing is secured. As this type of freight car is wellknown it is not necessary to describe the same in detail.

Reference characters B and B designate the upper ends of diagonal Z-beanis for1ning parts of the trussed structure of the car side.

C designates the wopden sheathing located within the trussed metal beams and secured to them to form the inclosing side wall of the car.

D designates thelongitudinal beam above the ear side upon which'the roof structure is supported.

7 Extending at each side of the car immediately below the roof and preferably secured to the longitudinal beam D by bolts e is a Z-beam forming the upper chord of the side truss. The web 6' of the Z-beam E depends vertically and overlies the top plank of the wooden side 0. The lower flange E of the Z-beam projects outwardly across the plane of the diagonal Z-beams B and B and the other beams forming the-side truss of the car,

It is necessary that a sliding door should have a path of movement outside of the longitudinal plane of the trussed beams of the side. Hence it is necessary that the track for the door to slide upon should project laterally beyond the lower horizontal flange E of the z-beam E. I, therefore, provide a horizontal plate F which overlies and is supported upon the outwardly projecting horizontal flange E of the Z-beam and is secured thereto by any suitable fastening means, such for instance as rivets f. The plate F projects beyond the lower horizontal flange of the Z beam and overlies the plane of the door G so as to form a direct vertical support for the door.

In order to form an' interlocking connection between the top of the door and the overlying supporting track consisting of the plate F, a depending flange F is supported longitudinally beneath the plate F which overlies the vertical flange of the Z-beam G secured along the top edge of the door, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The flange F may be in the form of an angle beam, the horizontal flange of which underlies the portion of the plate F adjacent the outer edge of the lower horizontal flange E" of the Z- beam, as shown in Fig. 2, any suitable fastening means being provided, such for instance as rivets f.

In order to securely support the door and to insure freedom of sliding movement into open and closed positions, a pair of hangers H and H are secured to the top of the door adjacent the front and rear edges thereof. Each of these hangers comprises a pair of anti-friction rollers K and 7c, the former of which overlies the outer edge of the plate F and directly supports the door thereon. The lower smaller guide roller is of each door hanger vertically underlies the outer ortion of the plate F and should the door he tilted longitudinally in applying force thereto for opening and closing it, such lower guide roller will engage beneath the track plate F and insure the free sliding of the door. It will be observed that the lower guide roller Z: lies outside of the depending flange F of the track, while the upwardly projecting flange G of the Z-beam along the top edge of the door lies within such downwardly projecting guide flange F. It will, therefore, be clear that the upper edge of the door is prevented from lateral movement either inwardly or outwardly.

In Fig. 3 I have shown a slight modification of my invention, in which the depending flange of the track is formed integrally with the horizontal plate thereof, in lieu of securing the downwardly projectin guide flange to the horizontal plate in the form of an angle bar, as shown in Fig. 2. In Fig. 3, L designates the track comprising a horizontal plate overlying the outwardly projecting horizontal flange E of the Z-beam E and secured thereto by rivets Z. L designates the downwardly projecting flange of the track which is formed integrally with the horizontal plate, and projects vertically between the upwardly projecting flange of the Z-beam G on the top of the door and the lower guide roller k of the door hanger. At the front edge of the door opening is provided a vertical angle bar M which forms a door post and projects beyond the trussed beams at the car side into the plane of the door, as shown in Fig. 5, so as to form a stop plate to limit the closing movement of the door, and so as to provide a weatherproof joint along the vertical front edge of the door. The lower end of the vertical angle bar M overlies and is secured to the base channel beam N which forms the lower chord of the side truss. The upper end of the angle beam M is secured by a gusset plate 0 to the horizontal flange E of the Z-beam E, as shown in Fig. 1.

In order to form a weather-proof corner above the front edge of the door, the horizontal plate F of the door track extends across the upper end of the vertical angle bar M and is riveted to the gusset plate 0.

In order to permit the horizontal plate of the door track to extend across the upper end of the angle bar, the depending flange F of the door track is discontinued at the inner surface of the outwardly projecting flange of the angle bar M. \Vhen the form of my invention shown in Fig. 2 is employed, the discontinuance of the lower guide flange of the track is accomplished by terminating the angle bar, of which such lower guide flange is formed, at the inner surface of the outwardly projecting flange of the vertical angle bar M. \Vhen the form of my invention shown in Fig. 3 is employed, the downwardly projecting flange L of the integral door track is removed from the aortion of the horizontal plate L which pro ects laterally above and beyond the upper end of the outwardly projecting flange of the vertical bar M.

P, which is shown in dotted lines in Figs. and 4t, designates the channel beam forming a vertical door post over which the front edge of the door extends when the door is closed.

It and R designate the usual guides for the lower edge of the door, and S any suitable locking means for securing the door in closed position.

From'the foregoing description it will be observed that I have invented an improved construction of freight car door particularly adapted for freight cars of the type having trusscd metal beams outside of the wooden inclosing sides, and in which the door will be securely supported and freely guided in its closing and opening movements in a plane outside of the longitudinal plane of the trussed beams. It will be further evident that by my improvements the track also serves, in conjunction with the upper edge of the door, to form a weatherroof joint, thereby preventing the ingress 0 water and dust, although the upper edge of the door is necessarily in an exposed position by reason of its location beyond the plane of the car side.

While I have described more or less in detail the specific form in which I have illustrated my invention as embodicd, yet I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself thereto, as I contemplatc changes in form, the proportion of parts, and the substitution of equivalents, as circumstances may require or as may be deemed expedient without departing from the spirit of my invention.

1 claim:

1. In a freight car, the combination with a side thereof having a door opening there through, of a slidin door closing said opening, a metal beam ilirming the upper chord of the truss of the car side and having a lower horizontal flange extendin across the top of the door opening, a track or supporting the door comprising a horizontal plate lapping and secured to the lower horizontal flange of the metal beam and a flange depending below the lower horizontal flange of the metal beam and spaced inwardly from the outer edge of the horizontal plate, door hangers secured to the to of the door each comprising an upper ro ler overlying and supported on the horizontal flange of the track and a lower roller underlyin said plate and lying adjacent the outer ace of said depending flange of the track, and a longitudinal flange projecting upwardly from the inner edge of the top of the door and overlapping the inner face of the depending flange of the track.

2. In a freight car, the combination with a side thereof having a door opening therethrough, of a slidin door closing said opening, a metal beam orming the upper chord of the truss of the car side and having a lower horizontal flange extendin across the top of the door opening, a track or supporting the door comprising a horizontal plate overlapping and secured to the lower orizontal flange of the metal beam and a lon gitudinal angle bar one flange of which is secured to the under surface of the plate and the other flange of which depends vertically below the lower horizontal flange of the metal beam and inwardly from the outer edge of the horizontal plate, door hangers secured to the top of the door each comprising an upper roller overlyin and supported on the longitudinal plate 0% the track and a lower roller underlying said plate and lying adjacent the outer face of the depending flange of the angle bar of the track, and a longitudinal flange projecting upwardly from the inner edge of the topof the door and overlapping the inner face of the depending flange of said angle bar.

3; In a freight car of the type having sides comprising metal beams forming trusses within which the wooden sheathin is se cured, the combination with a longitudinal metal beam forming the upper chord of the truss and having a lower horizontal flange extending across the door opening in the car side, of a vertical beam at the front of the door opening and havin a flange rojecting outwardly into the patfl of the ront edge of the door, and a track, for supporting the door comprising a horizontal plate secured to and projecting outwardly from the lower horizontal flange of the metal-beam so as to overlie the top of the'door, said track also comprising a depending vertical flange which terminates at the outwardly projecting flange of said vertical beam, said horizontal plate of the track extending beyond the front edge of the door opening and overlying and extending beyond the top of said vertical beam so as to form a weather-proof joint around the front top corner of the door.

In testimony whereof, I have subscribed my name.

PERCY M. ELLIOTT. Witnesses:

Geo. L. WILKINSON, ANNIE C. COURTENAY. 

